When My Strength Fails Me
by princessmelia
Summary: A tag to 5x09 "With All My Heart"- The spells Merlin cast that day were not without consequence. Merlin's strength begins to fail him on the journey home from the cauldron. How will his companions react and care for him?


_**A/N-** It really intrigued me that in the beginning of 5x09, Merlin said that he didn't have enough strength for both spells, yet he performed them both effortlessly. So this is a product of that. Enjoy the whump and bromance!_

* * *

Merlin came down the hillside, panting. Arthur, Gwen, and Mordred had already started heading back- without him- and had left Merlin to catch up and carry all of their belongings.

Merlin figured he must have made some noise coming down the hill, as Arthur turned back at the ruckus he made. "Ah, Merlin. There you are. Come on, hurry up."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be right there!" Merlin called forward while he paused to catch his breath. Sighing deeply, Merlin sprinted to catch up to the others.

Luckily, they had finally paused in their walking to allow Merlin time to reach them. As he approached, Gwen stepped forward and opened her arms.

"It's good to see you Merlin," Gwen greeted with a smile as she embraced him.

"You too," he replied with a tight squeeze back.

After a few moments, Arthur broke them apart, pulling Gwen under his arm. "Alright, alright. That's enough of that." Gwen hit his shoulder lightly but then rested her head against him. Merlin couldn't help but smile at the sight. The two of them were back together; where they belonged.

Mordred's voice cut through the scene, and Merlin couldn't help but narrow his eyes, a gut reaction. "The sun's beginning to set; we should set up camp soon."

"Absolutely right, Mordred," Arthur agreed. "We'll continue on for a little bit longer, and then we'll stop for the night."

The group started to walk along, all except for Merlin. He continued to stand there, holding all of the bags they had brought along. "Oh no, that's okay Merlin. Just continue to carry all of our things. Not like we aren't capable of carrying anything ourselves." He rolled his eyes and followed them down the road.

* * *

The small group was gathered around a fire later that night. Gwen was wrapped in Arthur's arms on one side of the fire, with the king occasionally kissing her cheek. Mordred sat across from them and was clearly looking at anything but the couple, while Merlin sat in the middle, staring into the flames.

The amount of magic he had used that day had finally caught up to him and he was feeling exhausted. There was a pounding behind his eyes and it seemed like every bone and muscle ached. His whole body was suffering from the amount of strength the spells he had used had required.

The only thing he was waiting for was an appropriate amount of time to pass so he could drift off to sleep. At the mere thought of slumber, Merlin felt himself yawn and his eyelids began to droop.

"Merlin," Arthur called out.

Merlin sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. "Yes sire?"

"Why don't you go get us some more firewood? We're going to run out soon."

Merlin groaned. "Why me?"

"Because you're the servant, Merlin."

"Why am I always the servant? Why can't you go get it for once?" Merlin knew he was being stupid and rude, but he just couldn't seem to bring himself to care. All he cared about was sleeping.

"_Merlin_." Arthur's tone carried a warning that Merlin knew all too well.

"Fine, fine. I'll get it," he said with a grumble.

"Now that's better," Arthur replied with a smile. Gwen sighed in exasperation and gave a small smile to her husband.

Merlin took a deep breath as he prepared to stand up. Suppressing a groan as he did so, Merlin stretched as he stood, hoping to sooth his sore muscles and get them functioning properly again.

The servant began making his way toward the surrounding forest by the clearing they were camped in, but after he had managed to make it a few yards, his knees buckled beneath him. The ground was suddenly very close to his face, and Merlin barely put his hands out in enough time to stop himself from colliding with the ground.

"Merlin?" he heard Mordred call out.

"Fine!" he yelled back. He tried to stand once more, but only made it halfway before his head spun wildly and he pitched forward once more, this time not stopping himself from slamming into the ground. "Ow," he said in surprise and pain.

When he tried to push himself up once more, his arms shook before he collapsed into a heap once more. Everything ached and his headache was only growing worse.

"Merlin?" he heard a voice ask, entirely too loud. He could barely decipher who it was, his brain was so muddled.

"Arthur? I think you should come see this."

Ah, so it was Mordred then. Something in Merlin's brain convinced him it would be a good idea to get up before Arthur came by.

"I'm fine," he insisted. He managed to sit back on his knees, but even that left him feeling drained. "See?" He smiled to where Mrodred was crouched beside him.

"What is it?" Arthur said, coming up behind them.

Merlin turned his head quickly and instantly regretted it as the world spun. "Ah," he said quietly, scrunching his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I think there's something wrong with Merlin," Mordred replied in a concerned tone.

"There's nothing wrong," Merlin said, dropping his hand quickly. "I'm okay." To prove it, he attempted to stand up again and would have fallen forward if the two men hadn't stopped him from meeting the dirt once again.

"Come on, let's get you back to the camp," Arthur said, worry ever so slightly lacing his tone.

The trio made their way back to camp with Merlin being supported by the two knights on either side. He was embarrassed, but only for so long. Exhaustion and need outweighed his pride and he was eventually just grateful that they were there for him.

When they made it to the camp, Gwen was pacing by the fire. Upon seeing Merlin, she quickly made her way to where they sat him down.

"What's wrong?" she questioned as she kneeled beside him.

"We're not sure," Arthur answered.

"Merlin?" Gwen asked, trying to get his attention. The servant turned to her and tried to focus his eyes on the young queen. It was hard, when his vision kept doubling and going in and out of focus.

"Gwen?" She smiled when he responded to her.

"Yes, Merlin, it's me. Can you tell us what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine," Merlin insisted as his eyes shut.

"Merlin." Arthur's voice this time, commanding. "What is it?"

Merlin's eyes blinked slowly opened and he focused them on the king. "Just tired is all. I just need some sleep." He felt a hand pressed to his forehead and realized that it was Gwen.

"Well, you don't have a fever. It's probably from a lack of sleep and not eating well enough. Maybe even from carrying all of our stuff," Gwen said with a stern glare at Arthur.

"I was carrying you!" Arthur protested.

"And after I was awake?"

Merlin heard Arthur sigh, "I guess I could've helped him then."

Gwen hummed in agreement and found a blanket in one of the packs. She tucked it lovingly around Merlin. "Sleep," she commanded gently and kissed Merlin's head. Not needing anymore convincing, Merlin curled up in a ball and quickly dropped off to sleep, feeling safe with his friends around.

* * *

When Merlin awoke the next morning, the camp set was already packed up around him, leaving only the blanket that was wrapped tightly around him left to put away.

"Nice of you to join the world of the living."

Merlin looked up and saw Arthur standing above him. Merlin pushed back his hair absentmindedly and realized that he no longer felt exhausted and dizzy like he had yesterday. His magic must have been restored along with his strength.

"Come on you lazy bum. We need to leave for Camelot."

As Arthur turned and walked away, Merlin muttered, "Good morning to you too," before getting up and rolling his blanket. He stuck it on top of the lone pack sitting beside him before hauling the surprisingly light bag over his shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Merlin turned to see Gwen standing behind him, worry lacing her expression.

"Much better," he replied with a smile. "Thanks for taking care of me."

Gwen dismissed his thanks with a wave of her hand. "You'd do the same for any of us. And you've done more for me over the years." She placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "I'm just glad to see you're feeling better." She turned to glance at Arthur behind her. "And he is too."

Merlin looked down and shook his head. "You might be the queen but I'm still the servant."

"Oh come on now Merlin," Gwen scolded gently. He looked up into her eyes. "Arthur cares about you, whether either of you are willing to admit it. He might not have said it outright last night, but I could see it in his eyes. He was worried about you." She squeezed his shoulder before letting go. "We all were."

"Merlin! Gwen! We're leaving!" The pair of friends turned to their king's call.

Gwen smiled at Merlin. "Come on. Let's go back home."

Merlin smiled and followed her with only one pack on his shoulder instead of four.

* * *

_Thoughts?_

**-princessmelia**


End file.
